Do

We usedoto talk about actions in general, when we do not specify exactly what the action is:

What have you beendoingtoday, anything interesting?

There is nothing we candoexcept wait and see what happens.

Can Idoanything to help?

We usedoas a main verb to talk about achieving or completing things:

A:

I’vedonethe washing up.

B:

Oh, thank you.

Wedid80 miles on the first day of our cycling holiday.

Shedoesthe crossword in the newspaper every day.

We usedowith nouns such ashomework, job, task, work:

She has a lot of homework todotonight.

I’m going todosome work in the garden this weekend.

If you want to know what someone’s job or profession is, you can use the main verbdoin a question:

A:

What doesJackie’s brotherdo?

B:

He’s an electrician.

Not:What does Jackie’s brother?

We usedoto talk about studying subjects:

A:

What didyoudoat university?

B:

Idideconomics.

All children have todoEnglish in primary school.

We usedoas a main verb to talk about taking part in activities:

Idida lot of hiking and mountain-climbing when I was younger.

Shedida trip down the Amazon when she was in Brazil.

We usedoas a main verb to talk about cleaning things or making them tidy:

The cleaner wasdoingmy room when I came back.

I’ll justdomy hair and then I’ll be ready.

We usedoas a main verb withwillorwon’tto talk about things being enough or acceptable:

A:

What size bag do you need?

B:

A small one willdo. (a small one is enough/acceptable)

To make the question form of most main verbs, we usedo, does(present simple) anddid(past simple) followed by the subject and the main verb:

Do you playfootball?

Doesn’t he phoneyou now and then?

Did your mother comefrom the same place as your father?

The negative of the present simple and past simple of all main verbs (except forbeand some uses ofhaveas main verbs) is made with auxiliarydo + not, which is shortened todon’t(do not),doesn’t(does not) anddidn’t(did not). We use the short forms in everyday informal language, and the full forms in more formal situations:

Idon’t wantto wait for a bus. Let’s get a taxi.

Jackdoesn’t livein the town centre. He’s out in the suburbs.

Didn’tyougetmy email? I sent it at about four o’clock.

The Prime Ministerdoes not takepersonal phone calls from members of the public.(more formal)

Didthe parentsnot realisethat something serious had happened to their child?(more formal)

We usedo, does(present simple) ordid(past simple) to give extra force to the main verb. We use the infinitive of the main verb withoutto, and stressdo/does/didwhen speaking.

We also use emphaticdowith imperatives.

Do comeand have dinner with us some time.

Do stop talking, Harry! You’re boring everybody!

We use auxiliarydoto form question tags for clauses which do not have a modal verb, a verb in the perfect withhaveor clauses withbe. The tag uses the same person and tense as the subject of the main verb. The tag may be affirmative or negative, depending on the type of tag:

Youworkwith Peter,don’t you?(affirmative main verb, negative tag)

Sheplaysthe piano,doesn’t she?

Little childrendon’tusuallylikespicy food,do they?(negative main verb, affirmative tag)

Theydidn’tstay very long,didthey?

Youlivenear Harkness,do you?(affirmative verb, affirmative tag)

Theyarrivedlate,did they?

We sometimes addso,itorthatafter the substitutedo.Do so, do itanddo thatare sometimes used differently, but they are often interchangeable:

He said he was going to move to New Zealand and, to everyone’s surprise, hedid so/did it/did that.

We usedo somostly to refer to actions where the subject and verb are the same as the ones we have mentioned.Do sois generally more formal thando itanddo that:

I wanted them to leave, and politely asked themto do so, but they wouldn’t go, so I called the police.(I wanted them to leave and I politely asked them to leave.)

We often usedo sowhen we make a general reference to a series of actions or events:

The birds make their nests on the north side of the island in little holes in the rocks. The reason why theydo sois because the south side of the island is exposed to extreme winds.

We usedo itwhen we refer to an action or an event involving a verb and an object, especially when the subject is different from the one already mentioned:

A:

He accidentally deleted some emails on his computer.

B:

Ido itall the time. (I delete files all the time.)

Do thatis more emphatic and we use it for deliberate actions:

A:

Would you ever give a complete stranger your phone number?

B:

No. I would neverdo that. (I would never give a complete stranger my phone number.)

We often usedo thatin situations where we are contrasting things:

A:

Would you like to have a few nights in a motel?

B:

No, we’d prefer not todo that.We’d rather have a nice hotel. (We’d prefer not to have a few nights in a motel.)

A:

I’ve decided to wait a year before starting college. I want to travel a bit and see the world.

B:

I really think you shoulddo thatrather than starting college. You’re still so young. College will still be an option this time next year.

We can use a modal or an auxiliary verb +doto substitute for a main verb and what comes after it:

A:

I feel terrible.

B:

You should go to the doctor.

A:

Ishould do,I know, but I have so much work to finish.

A:

Has Martin met Paul before?

B:

Hecould have doneat the sales meeting last year, but I’m not sure.